Hello all! This is my first (non-test) post. I’ve wanted to chat about this subject for quite some time after I had a revelation while playing Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. I discovered that I am a sucker for romance in video games. Romantic love, sexual chemistry, what have you. I just really enjoy seeing budding relationships or participating in them as the character.
Watching the progression of Liara and Shepard’s relationship across the 3 games really hammered this home for me. There is something deeply poetic about watching a human who has ~100 years to live have to choose how to balance the biggest decisions and weight of the galaxy fall and love with an Asari who has ~1000 years to live. Liara is basically a a young adult in her 20’s by Asari standards when you meet her, but has already lived more than twice as long as Shepard.
Their relationship dynamic is one where Shepard is helping her navigate day to day life in some ways, while Liara is constantly expressing and venerating the depth and breadth of history, the galaxy, and beyond. In some ways she’s a reflection of the scale of what Shepard is dealing with, while Shepard is reminding her in some ways to live here and now, on the land she stands on. The way this dynamic plays out and buds into what to date is probably my favorite romance I’ve experienced in gaming.
Anyway, I just wanted to get some thoughts down and spur some discussion. I’d love to hear what others have enjoyed/experienced, or maybe you disagree with my take lol
For all the criticisms I have of it, I think The Outer Worlds might have my favourite romance of any video game. And it’s not even a romance that features your character! Your companion, Parvati, has a series of “loyalty” missions that essentially involve you setting up a date for her with a woman she has a crush on. And then the date going well. And then it progressing into a relationship. It’s such a lovely series of quests.
It works really well because it’s not about the player character (and, by extension, the player self-inserting themselves). It means it doesn’t need to make you feel a personal connection to the characters. It doesn’t need to let you express exactly how you’re feeling. You don’t get those little “oh, I wouldn’t have picked that option if I knew my character would say it like that” moments. Instead, you get to see two characters who are quite literally made for each other interact, so it all feels really natural.
But you still get to be involved. It was you who set them up. It was you who gave Parvati that advice that worked, and who helped her get ready, and who gave her the confidence to go for it. You’re not just a bystander; you genuinely feel involved in the whole thing. It avoids a lot of the issues other games have with romance where they’re trying too hard to cater to the player, or where the romance feels fairly one-dimensional, while still keeping the player engaged and invested in it working out.
Man I love that. I got a similar sensation watching Garrus and Tali come together but it wasn’t nearly as fleshed out or the result of my involvement. More the result of my not romancing either lol
Outer Worlds is currently in the July Humble Choice if anyone wants to pay $12 for it and some other games.
I like romance in video games when they’re well done. Mass Effect had some hit or misses but I like the potential it showed in this aspect. I wish they treated all the potential love interest with the same care and attention they did Liara though (I went for Thane and his romance path in ME3 was… meh). I think OG Bioware did a pretty decent job with romance. Dragon Age: Origins was also fantastic in this regard.
I have yet to scratch that romance itch with other games. I’ve tried it with Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Pathfinder: Kingmaker. They don’t quite land as deeply. I’m hoping the newest Baldur’s Gate will have an interesting romance aspect.
There is no doubt, at least to me, that Shepard/Liara is the most fleshed out. ME3 liara really has some incredible dialogue that hits hard if you’re together. I haven’t played enough times to “romance everyone,” but I did 3 runs on 360 back in the day and 1 on LE so I’ve seen a few and none came close.
Agreed. I think the closest one would be Garrus actually, but even then, there was a gap.
One thing I will say about DA:O that I think they did better than ME, was how some romantic interests would take initiative towards the player, which I found surprising and caught me off guard. It helped build the illusion that the characters were their own person, and thus the relationship between player character and them was more genuine.
